Supply spool feed



Oct. 12, 1943. 'J. K. DELANO SUPPLY SPOQLIEED Filed pct. 11, 1940 3 Sheegs-Sheet 1 l l l I INVENTORL James A. De/a/m Oct. 12, 1943. J. K. DELANO SUPPLY SPOOL FEED Filed Oct. 11 1940 3 Sheets-Shet 2 g6 INVENTOR. James A. 08/0/70 A; :ORNEYS 0a. 12, 1943. J..K. DELANO 2,331,662

SUPPLY SPOOL FEED Filed OCT. 11, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Q i I n x I xx q l v I I X q i I q I I TENS/01V I l I I I I I I I I INVENTOR. James A10 e/aflo Patented Oct. 12, 1943 Patents Company, Dove Delaware r, Del., a corporation of Application Oatoben 11, 19%, Serial Nm aeoigfss I lClaim. (c1. zeta-arr This: invention relates to. the art of proeessing wire, particularly fine wire. v

In. one. of the; applications of this; invention, fine wire is continuously drawn under.- controlled tension, from a supply: spool to a take-up spooli Intermediate these spools, the wir subiected to! a series of operations including annealin coating with an insulating compound, dryingrand of the compound.v Ehese operations are efleot'ed an annealing: chamber-,. a; coating: a nparatus, a. drying and: baking oven. The wiresis drawn through these several pieces; of-- e uimnen-t bytension applied by means of a caps-tan around which the wire passesand: from: whichiit is delivered to a take-up spool driven by a magnetic in my application S'erial No.v 360,754 entitled ""Spooling device for Wire, filed on even date herewith, now Patent- No. 2;306,045- issued Dec; 22, 194 2. 7

One of the problems met is the maintenance of a controlled tension, predeterminedvfor the-particular' kind andgauge of wire used, to avoid breakage. Itthe tension is too great at any poin-t; breakage-occurs; If the tension is too: lowgsuc cess-ful advancement of the wireoannot; {be achievedlsi-ncea certain minimum tension is necessary in order that the wire may be drawnand guided through the ent'ire apparatusi The wire must therefore be maintained at' all times within arelatively narrow range of tension. The fact thatthe tensile strength of theto begin with, may be: and usually is ,very low; that, it passes through a series of operations in which its, temperature is, radically changed; that it direction of movement is frequently changed by contact with numero s guide, pulleys andthe like, thatthe tension, for causing, movement may be aRDlied. at. asingle point near the end oiiithe trainrof operations. has vcreated amai'or problem. Qne otnthe object'sof this/invention is to solve that problem.

The presentinvention is directed morenartieu: larly to the supply spool anditsasseciatedlmecm anism. One. object of thepresentinventionis t devise a. positively driven supply spool' ieedi which .will cause wine; to. be supplied from, the supply Spool eontinuously atlatension; controlled within desinedzlimitsh e principles oitheinvention will be; defined in the. claim ultimately;amended-hereto, and will lie-illustrated by: a, tmiciai embodiment of; the invention asyset. forthv in the.- following; deserip,

tiom taken inflmhmtinm with the dii sw fl i. in which: F'i'gzlii'siaeplazminhvri f withiWh'iohrthepe ndzinventinmrsradadated tebe usemmd *Fi'gi'irisaanexpianraitory l a The series :oztonenafinmsand zmsansifor ffeete ing: same", toroooperate with'whishi theapresent invention is: adapted; aaterdiagrammaticallgfillnss tratedimli iszfh' I Fizom the-:drivenrslmnlwf I: iih iwirepfiifl in contaoirlwizthigui e 12o11s-,- 2.- throng-nan anneal inaorent; (in which itzpassesrarnnna phflexsm oven-guide: pm'lexsi 5 o wide m ll t: A O guidenuilem fidtymahes; as many passesras desired, resulting in et plurality ot-parallel. upper strands; '(onLv'onemfs whi h; iashown) and anlue of parallel: Iowan-strands it (only.- one o; whim-Lie; showman; Eheuoper stintds passr over rolls: a in a; wan ng;'chamh r fls-wh her a withiasuitahle insulatine comnoundjcoatedi rire thenrpesses throughadrsips and baking oven l5 containing a dryinggchanrber lrfivand. abaking, chamber 11! senaxatedmg arwall them: passes bask: oventhe' guide ,h llfix" 6 I directed b pnileysi kit amtm Basses: tm cap.- stam 2 Is'andrthsnoea terthe, taker-up reel: 21.

I The-tensiomwhieh-drawatherwire, througahth entineennaratueineoonerationwith thevdeliyery on tho vviiie;from th erditilvem sunnly spool l is sup;- nlied bnmeane Gains-semifi al! which by 713191191 2 3: through-ea; variable-weed ng ducer: Z4 and :7 a1 spreeket drive,- 2 5 whiem also drivel; thetaka-umspool- 22;- through a netic. 'clutehr more nartisularly described; claimed in; jmy oopending; application Serial; NO 3.695541 li line: evi i9; W if on even date: henewith'inowfiatent-No; 2,396,955,, asabovementiened." w My .rhe-drive-sham 3a is mtfltahlw andr emerits ablyrcarriediomthe floating bearings at cab.- ries; a sneak ot wirez 3:2r WhiChr'iB; masters-to be rotated shaft 30; throngh 'theeaciiona of a pin. 3 3 earned; thebrakadrium il 1 838;- ns; areo sM- a h h h etiih se s s amid 40 is; operatively; with the 3:isvaozneimratiomnamia mztransnerse 328:

is in turn carried by a lever arm 41 pivotally mounted by means of the collar 48 and pin 49 so that the said lever arm 41 is mounted for oscillation in a plane substantially transverse to the. axis of the drive shaft and about an axis parallel to the axis of the drive shaft, and the transverse arm 44 is therefore mounted for oscillation about an axis coinciding with the axis about which the lever arm oscillates. The oscillation of the said transverse arm 44 and guide roll 45 is caused by variations in the tension of wire which is drawn from the spool 32 and in contact with the guide roll. This oscillation occurs through an are having predetermined limits, the upp r limit corresponding to maximum desired tension on the wire and the lower limit corresponding to minimum desired tension (see Fig. 3).

In accordance with the invention wire is simultaneously fed and drawn from the spool 32 around the lower periphery of the guide roll 45 and then in a substantially vertical direction. As tension on the wire increases the guide roll 45 and the transverse arm 44 of the bracket move upwardly through an arc having a radius substantially equal to the length of the lever arm 41 until the guide'roll reaches a point on said are corresponding to the maximum permissible or desirable tension. During this upward movement the spool is not driven and further movement of the guide roll beyond this upper limit would tend to cause undue tension on the wire. 7 In accordance with the present invention the'further upward movement of the guide roll is prevented and tension on the wire is reduced by starting the positive rotation-of the spool by the motor to cause feeding of the wire. As hereinafter more specifically set 'forth, the invention includes means for limiting the upward movement of the guide roll by causing positive rotation of the spool at or near a predetermined upper limit of the are through which the guide roll moves. I As soon as rotation of the spool begins and wire is fed therefrom by the positive rotation of said spool, tension on the wire decreases and the weight of the pivoted guide roll and its supporting lever arm 44 causes the guide roll to descend through an arc the lower limit of which is determined by the minimum desired tension on the wire, and the invention includes means for controlling and predetermining the lower limit of the are through which the guide roll moves by stopping the motor as the guide roll starts to descend and applying a brake to absorb the momentum of the spool and decelerate its speed at or near said lower limit. When this is done, tension on the wire increases because the spool is no longer positively driven, and the guide roll again moves upwardly until it again reaches its upper permissible or desirable limit, whereupon the positive rotation of the spool by the motor is resumed and the guide roll again descends.

Thus during operation of the apparatus'the guide roll continuously moves through an are having predetermined limits, the upper limit corresponding to maximum desired tension'on the wire and the lower limit corresponding to minimum desired tension. The margin or range of tension on the wire is thus controlled between predetermined limits and these are in turn controlled by the length of the are through which the guide roll moves.

The present invention includes means for predetermining the said upper and lower limits and therefore predetermining the range of permissible or desirable tension on the wire during operation of the apparatus.

In accordance with the invention the upper limit of tension is predetermined by starting the positive rotation of the spool and the feeding of the wire at a predetermined upper limit of the are through which the guide roll moves and then discontinuing the positive rotation of the spool, and applying a brake thereto at a predetermined lower limit;

Certain specific illustrative means for predetermining these limits will now be more specifically described.

The lever 41 is fulcrumed at a point intermediate the ends thereof. The said lever has a long arm 50 and a short arm 5| and is mounted for oscillation in a vertical plane about an axis parallel to the axis of the drive shaft and subjacent thereto. At the end of the long arm 50 the said lever carries the transverse arm 44 having an axis parallel to the axis of the drive shaft and as already stated, on this transverse arm the guide roll 45 is rotatably mounted in spaced relation to the drive shaft 30 and the spool 32 carried thereby. The circuit which drives the motor 40 (which in turn drives the drive shaft and spool) includes spring contactsGO the closing of which closes the motor circuit and thereby causes operation of the motor. The pin 49 on which the lever arm 41 is pivoted carries a cam 61 the angular rotation of which is the same as that of the lever arm. The position of the cam on the pin is so adjusted that the engagement of the cam 6| with the conta'cts 60 causes closing thereof at-any desiredupper limit of the are through which the guide roll moves. The setting of this cam therefore 'predetermines the upper limit of said are becausethe closing of saidcontacts 64 by clockwise oscillation of said cam 6| causes operation of-the motor, positive rotation of the spool and feeding of the; wire to the guide roll. Conversely, when the motor causes rotation of the spool and the feeding of the wireto the guide roll and when as aresult thereof tension onthe wire is decreased and the guide roll descends, oscillation .of said cam. 6| in, a counter clockwise direction opens said contacts 60 and thereby re.- moves. the drivingforce applied to the spool. The setting and configuration of the cam can therefore be adjusted. to open the motor circuit at any predetermined point in thepath of travel of the guide roll45through said arc. Preferably the setting is such as to open the circuit when the guide roll has travelled a distance about midway between its upper and lower limits. Further rotation of the spool is then dependent largely on its momentum. g

The lower limit of tension may be predetermined by applying apositive braking force to the drive shaft at a predetermined lower limit of the arc described by the downward movement .of the guide roll and a specific means of accomplishing this will be described as follows I As will presently appear, it is convenient to have two levers 41 and 41A fulcrumed atpoints intermediate the ends thereof, as shown in the drawings; lever 41 having a long arm 50 and a short arm lever 41A having along arm 50A and a shortarm 5|A, the respective ends of these arms being connected by transverse membersor arms 44 and 44A; The ends of the short lever arms 5| and 51A (and the transverse member A. connecting these ends) move upwardly and downwardly in consonance with the downward and upward movement of the arm 44 and guide roll 45,"respectively, and through an arc the limits of which are determined by the respective lengths of the short and long lever arms and the are through which the guide roll passes. Adjacent the lower periphery of the brake drum 34 there may be located a brake shoe'62 pivoted at oneend by a pin 63 and resiliently connected at the other end, as for example by a spring 64, to the end of the short arm MA or, as specifically shown in the drawings, to the transverse member A connected to the endof the short arm 5lA. "I'he'braking force applied to the brake drum may be generated solely, as shown, by the force of gravity acting on the guide roll45, transverse arm 44 and long lever arms 50 and 58A and multiplied by the ratio of the long to the short lever arms. Notwithstanding the relatively low order or magnitude of this force, it is sufiicient when multiplied by'the leverage effect to cause adequate retardation of the rotation'of the spool at a predetermined lower limit of the arc traversed by the guide roll. As the latter moves downwardly the short lever arms 5| and ElAmove upwardly in consonance therewith and bysuitable correlation of the lengthof the short lever arms with the brake shoe and its relation to the periphery of the brake drum, the ratio ofthe long lever arm to the short lever arm, the weights of the lever arms, the transverse arm, the guide roll, the motor speed and the weight of the spool and the wire contained thereon, maximum brakingefi'ect may be attained at any predetermined point of the arc traversed by the end of the short lever arms 5| and 5IA intheir upward movement, which in turn fixes the lower limit of the arc traversed by the guide roll. To enhance the delicacy of control, the short and long lever arms are preferably disposed so that when the guide roll reaches the lower limit of the arc described by it, the short lever arm is disposed at an angle of approximately defined by said short lever arm 5| and a horizontal plane passing through the fulcrum. This makes it possible to apply force to the brake shoe through a line represented by the inclined axis of the spring 64. When the force is initially applied to the brake drum the vertical component of this force is relatively small but as the end of the short lever arm approaches the limit of the arc traversed by it, the axis of the spring 64 moves angularly in a counter-clockwise direction which causes an increase in the vertical component of the force supplied by said spring. Thus rotation of the spool is gradually retarded until tension on the wire approaches its maximum desirable upper limit, whereupon the guide roll 45 ascends, closes contacts 60 and causes the motor to positively rotate the spool.

When this method is carried out by means of the apparatus hereinabove described it will be seen that wire is continuously fed or paid out from the spool in the form of a loop, at one end thereof, which loop passes around the guide roll, the latter being a rotatably mounted element which is suspended in said loop and operates mechanism which in cooperation with said ele- 94 is provided to secure the spool 32 described thereby. Thus the average length of the loop may be maintained substantially constant. The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 tot is the preferred apparatus for carrying out the method above defined, and this apparatus has been found to successfully solve the problemof continuously feeding very fine wire under a tension controlled within a narrow range so as to provide continuous and successful operation without shut-downs due to breakage orsnarling of the wire.

Further details of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 5 will be described as follows: i

The drive shaft floats upon and is' demount ably journaled at each end on collar bearings 3| which rotate on. roller bearings. The said collar bearings are mounted at each end on housings and 90A, respectively, supported on the platform 9i. Integral with the drive shaft is the brake drum 34 at one end thereof carrying a pin 33 which is adapted to engage a hole in the flange S2 of the wire-carrying spool'32. The spool has at the axis thereof a hole rurming lengthwise of the spool by means of which the spool can be mounted upon and demounted from the arbor '93 which is integral with the driveshait'. A look nut firmly on the arbor 93.

Within the housing, the spring electrical oontact members '60 are insulatedly supported on the apron 95, these contacts being also insulated from each other and forming a part of the motor circuit diagrammatically shown in Fig. 5 which includes the motor 40 and the rheostat 96 to control the speed thereof. The motor 48 is suspended from the platform 9| by a swinging joint 91, the weight of the motor and its tendency to swing about this joint causing the pulley thereof to maintain adequatetension at all times on the belt connected to the pulley which drives the drive shaft, in conjunction with a spring 98 which assists in maintaining a suitable taut condition of the belt 43.

The bracket carrying the guide roll 45 is pivoted by means of collars and pins (only one of which, 49, is shown), see Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, the said pins being carried by the housings '90 and 98A. An extension of the housing 90 carries the stop 99. The housings 90 and 90A which carry the bearings 3| are secured to the platform by flanges I00 and bolts IUI.

In accordance with this invention from the apparatus point of view there is provided a rotatably and horizontally mounted spindle adapted to rotate a spool of wire carried by said spindle,

means to rotate said spindle and spool to deliver shown in Fig. '7. The peaks correspond to the accelerating periods and the valleys to the decelerating periods, since the tension decreases when the speed of the spool is accelerated and increases when it isdecelerated.

By varying the accelerating and decelerating forces and the times during which they ar applied, the curve shown in Fig. 7 will assume different forms and it is possible to control the tension very delicately within closely controlled limits.

It may be noted that the arm 41 and guide roll 45, used in the preferred form of the invention, move up and down through an arc in accordance with the wave form of curve shown in Fig. 7 and establish the form of the curve by applying the accelerating and decelerating at periods controlled by the cam 49, contacts 6!], arms spring 64 and brake shoeBZ.

The apparatus and method of this invention have numerous uses other than the one specifically shown. For example, it may be used in cooperation with a coil winding device where it is desirable to deliver wire at periodically varying speeds.

I claim:

A device for feeding wire comprising a horizontally and rotatably mounted drive shaft adapted to rotate a spool of wire carried on said shaft; a lever fulcrumed at a point intermediate the ends thereof and having a long arm and a short arm and mounted for oscillation about an axis parallel to the axis of the drive shaft and subjacent thereto, said lever carrying at the end of its long arm a transverse arm having an axis parallel to the axis of the drive shaft; a guide roll rotatably mounted on said transverse arm and in spaced relation to said drive shaft and spool carried thereby, in contact with which guide r011, wire is drawn from the spool during operation; said transverse arm and guide roll being adapted to be moved upwardly by an increase in the tension on the wire drawn from the spool in contact with said guide roll through an arc to an upper limit of said are predetermined by the maximum desired tension on said wire, and low.- ered through the same arc, by gravity and a decrease in the tension on said wire. to a lower limit of said are predetermined by the minimum desired tension on said wire, the end of said short lever arm being adapted to move upwardlyfand downwardly in consonance with the lowering and raising of said transverse arm and guid roll; a motor operatively connected to said drive shaft; an electrical circuit which when closed operates said motor; means actuated by the upward movement of said long lever arm to close said circuit, accelerate the rotation of the spool and decrease tension on the wire at about the upper limit of said arc and thereby cause the guide roll to descend; mechanical means connected to said short lever arm to apply braking force to said drive shaft by the upward movement of said short lever arm in consonance with the descent of said guide roll, to decelerate the rotation of the spool, limit the said descent to about the lower limit of said are and cause the guide roll to ascend, whereby the tension on said wire fed and drawn from said spool is maintained between said maximum and minimum desired limits, said mechanical means comprising a brake drum carried by the drive shaft and an elongated brake shoe pivoted at one end and adapted to swing into and out of engagement with the periphery of said brake drum; and elongated resilient means connecting the other end of the brake shoe with the said short lever arm, the axis of said resilient means and the longitudinal axis of the brake shoe defining an obtuse angl which progressively decreases in magnitude as the short lever arm moves upwardly, whereby the vertical component of the force applied by the brake shoe to the drum progressively increases as said short lever arm moves upwardly. I JAMES K DELANO. 

